Openbill storks | |
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African openbill by Huet & Prêtre | |
Scientific classification![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Ciconiiformes |
Family: | Ciconiidae |
Genus: | Anastomus Bonnaterre, 1791 |
Type species | |
Ardea oscitans[1] Boddaert, 1783 | |
Species | |
Synonyms | |
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Theopenbill storks oropenbills are twospecies ofstork (family Ciconiidae) in thegenusAnastomus. They are large wadingbirds characterized by large bills, the mandibles of which do not meet except at the tip. This feature develops only in the adults. Both species feed predominantly onmolluscs. The roof of the upper bill is fringed with plate-like structures ("lamellae") in theAfrican openbill, but these are absent in theAsian openbill.[2][3]
ThegenusAnastomus was erected by the French naturalistPierre Bonnaterre in 1791.[4] Thetype species was subsequently designated as the Asian openbill (Anastomus oscitans).[5][6] The nameAnastomus is from theAncient Greek αναστομοωanastomoō meaning "to furnish with a mouth" or "with mouth wide-opened".[7]
There are two species of openbilled storks:[8]
Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
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African openbill | Anastomus lamelligerus Temminck, 1823 Two subspecies
| A resident breeder inSub-Saharan Africa, includingMadagascar![]() | Size: measuring 80–94 cm (31–37 in) and weighing 1–1.3 kg (2.2–2.9 lb) Habitat: Diet: aquatic snails and fresh water mussels | LC |
Asian openbill | Anastomus oscitans (Boddaert, 1783) | A resident breeder in tropicalsouthern Asia fromIndia andSri Lanka east toSoutheast Asia. | Size: 68 cm (27 in) height (81 cm (32 in) long). Habitat: Diet: | LC |
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